1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus for a data transport system and more particularly to such apparatus for an asymmetric data connection, and to a method of establishing an asymmetric data connection.
2. Description of Related Art
Increasingly, there is a need for high bandwidth data connections. Frequently, however, the high data bandwidth is only required in one direction. For example, in video-on-demand (unicast) or multicast applications, it is necessary to send high bandwidth video data from a central server to one or more remote users. However, the remote users only need to send low bandwidth signals, for example requesting a particular selection of video data, and thus do not need a high bandwidth return path to the server. In these circumstances, clearly economies may be made by providing a high bandwidth data path from the server at the head end), but providing a relatively low bandwidth return path for data from the remote site to the head end. Thus, the concept of an asymmetric data connection, where the data bandwidths in the outgoing and return paths are not the same, has arisen.